This
is one of the most common questions asked by new
pet bunny owners, particularly if the bunny had been
purchased from a pet store. Most pet store employees
know little, if anything, about rabbits in general,
not to mention how to identify the specific breeds.
Although it is impossible for a knowledgable rabbit
breeder to properly identify the breed of a rabbit
without being able to actually see and feel the rabbit,
we can, however, provide a basic guide for narrowing
down the choices.

In
order to identify the breed of a bunny, the reader
must first understand that there are currently "recognized" 45
breeds in the United States today, with more under
development certificates. It takes many years of
development and a stringent three-year process of
evaluation before a new breed can be accepted by
the American Rabbit Breeders Association (ARBA).

Rabbit
breeds come in a wide variety of sizes, shapes, ear
carriage, and colors. It is impossible to identify
the breed of a rabbit by color alone because
the same color may be available in many different
breeds and including the "spotted" varieties. Color
is referred to as "varieties," and the "spotted" is
called "broken," which means "a white body broken
up by colored spots or blotches." The colored portions
may be any of the recognized colored varieties. To
make matters more difficult, the common "mixed breeds" are
available in the same color variations and including
broken varieties.

A
word of caution before we begin--the majority of
the bunns found in pet stores are what the breeder
terms as "culls" that do not conform to the "Standard
of Perfection" for that breed for show purposes.
In the case of the small breeds, they are often too
large in body structure or have other major faults
such as ears over the maximum length, or poor coloration,
or not enough color. However, these "rejects" make
wonderful pets and are just as lovable and affectionate
as a top-quality show rabbit. You will need to bear
these facts in mind while attempting to identify
the breed of your bunny. Do not expect to
purchase a rabbit worthy to compete in rabbit shows
from a pet store! Should the reader be interested
in participating in rabbit shows, it will be very
important to acquire your rabbit(s) directly from
a "reputable" breeder--never from a pet store!

Ear
Carriage

Ear
carrage should be the first characteristic to consider,
since it may narrow the field down quickly. Do the
ears stand upright or do they "lop" down alongside
the head? "Lops" are often referred to as "floppy-eared" by
pet owners. Keep in mind that many "pet quality" lop-eared
bunnies have what we call "helicopter ears" that
will stand out horizontally from the head! Sometimes,
a rabbit will have only one helicopter ear.
Having the ears lop forward, giving the appearance
of a "charging bull", is also not uncommon. Sometimes,
the rabbit may appear only as "lazy-eared."

There
are five lop-eared breeds: American Fuzzy Lop,
Holland Lop, Mini Lop, English Lop and French
Lop. All other breeds have upright ears. Determining
the difference in the lop-eared breeds will depend
mostly upon the mature, adult weight (size) and in
the case of the American Fuzzy Lop, the fur or wool,
as well. However, English Lop has extremely
long ears that literally drag on the ground,
whereas the other lop-eared breeds have shorter ears,
which makes identification of English Lop easier.
Minimum length for the ears on a mature English Lop
is 21 inches.

Size

Next,the size of
your bunny can help identify its breed. However,
the size cannot be properly determined until the
rabbit has acquired its full size, which is at least
6 months of age for the smaller breeds, and 9 months
of age for larger breeds. Although very few of the "giant" breeds
are ever found in pet stores, we will include them,
as well, for the purpose of providing "complete information."

For
the convenience of determining what "category" your
bunny falls into, we will use the terms very small
breeds, small breeds, medium to large breeds, and giant
breeds.

Very
Small Breeds

These
breeds range in mature weights from 2 to 4
lbs. with some requiring lesser maximum weights than
others. Keep in mind the possibility of over-sized
pet quality! The most popular of the breeds listed
below that are found in pet stores would be the Holland
Lop and the Netherland Dwarf. Minimum
and maximum mature weights are shown:

Breed

Min.
Weight

Max.
Weight

American
Fuzzy Lop

None

4
lbs.

Britannia
Petite

None

2-1/2
lbs.

Dwarf
Hotot

None

3
lbs.

Jersey
Wooly

None

3-1/2
lbs.

Holland
Lop

None

4
lbs.

Netherland
Dwarf

None

2-1/2
lbs.

Polish

None

3-1/2
lbs.

Small
Breeds

These
breeds range in mature weights from 3 lbs.
to 7-1/2 lbs. with the most popular found in pet
stores being the Mini Rex, Dutch, and Mini
Lop.

Breed

Min.
Weight

Max.
Weight

English
Angora

5
lbs

7-1/2
lbs

Standard
Chinchilla

5
lbs.

7-1/2
lbs.

Dutch

3-1/2
lbs

5-1/2
lbs.

Florida
White

4
lbs.

6
lbs.

Havana

4-1/2
lbs.

6-1/2
lbs.

Mini
Lop

4-1/2
lbs.

6-1/2
lbs.

Mini
Rex

3
lbs.

4-1/2
lbs.

Silver

4
lbs.

7
lbs.

Tan

4
lbs.

6
lbs.

Medium-to-Large
Breeds

These
breeds are not commonly found in pet stores, but
are often acquired from shelters, the Humane Society,
and sometimes purchased from breeders as "pets." These
breeds will range in size from 5 lbs. to 12 lbs.
The most popular in this range would most likely
be the popular New Zealand White, Californian,
and Rex meat breeds and a wide variety of "mixed
breeds."

Breed

Min.
Weight

Max.
Weight

American

9
lbs.

12
lbs.

American
Sable

7
lbs.

10
lbs.

French
Angora

7-1/2
lbs.

10-1/2
lbs.

Satin
Angora

6-1/2
lbs.

9-1/2
lbs.

Beveren

8
lbs.

12
lbs.

Belgian
Hare

6
lbs.

9-1/2
lbs.

Californian

8
lbs.

10-1/2
lbs.

Champagne
d'Argent

9
lbs.

12
lbs.

American
Chinchilla

9
lbs.

12
lbs.

Cinnamon

8-1/2
lbs.

11
lbs.

Creme
d'Argent

8
lbs.

11
lbs.

English
Spot

5
lbs.

8
lbs.

Harlequin

6-1/2
lbs.

9-1/2
lbs.

Hotot

8
lbs.

11
lbs.

Lilac

5-1/2

8
lbs.

New
Zealand

9
lbs.

12
lbs.

Palomino

8
lbs.

11
lbs.

Rex

7-1/2
lbs.

10-1/2
lbs.

Rhinelander

6-1/2
lbs.

10
lbs.

Satin

8-1/2
lbs.

11
lbs.

Silver
Fox

9
lbs.

12
lbs.

Silver
Marten

6
lbs.

9-1/2
lbs.

Giant
Breeds

These
breeds tend to grow very large and most have
no maximum weight limitations. The most popular found
as pets would be the Flemish Giant, English
Lop, and French Lop.

Breed

Min.
Weight

Max.
Weight

Giant
Angora

8-1/2
lbs.

None

Checkered
Giant

11
lbs.

None

Giant
Chinchilla

12
lbs.

16
lbs.

Flemish
Giant

13
lbs.

None

English
Lop

9
lbs.

None

French
Lop

10
lbs.

None

Fur/Wool

Only
certain breeds have very special types of fur or
wool. By now, the reader has picked out all the breeds
in the weight categories that may fit the rabbit
being identified. We can further narrow down the
choices by pointing out and describing the breeds
possessing unique fur or wool.

Breed

Fur
or Wool

Unique
Fur/Wool Characteristics

American
Fuzzy Lop

Wool

Min.
length 2"

English
Angora

Wool

Min.
length 3-1/2" covering entire body Sports excessive
ear tufts.

Giant
Angora

Wool

Min.
length 1-1/2" covering body only. Head and
ears are bare of wool.

Very
short and stands upright like a plush stuffedtoy.
The "velveteen rabbit."

Mini
Rex

Fur

Smaller
version of the Rex.

Satin

Fur

Very shiny,
smooth lay-down fur--like satin.

Silver
Fox

Fur

Smooth
lay-down fur, but when stroked from rump to
head, will stand upright with no fly-back or
roll-back.

Markings

A
few breeds have very specific markings that
can be used for identification purposes. Again, please
bear in mind the tendency for "pet quality" to not match
the required markings, but they usually have enough
of the right markings to be able to use for breed
identification. "Markings" differ from "broken" patterns
in that the markings must always be in the
same locations on every rabbit of that breed.

Breed

General
Description

Common
Misplacements

Californian

White
body with colored nose, ears, tail, & feet.

Pale
or no markings on feet & tail or "smut" on
dewlap or body.

Checkered
Giant

White
body with colored nose, ears, eye-rings, cheek
spots, strip down length of spine, & 2
spots on each side of body.

Too
many spots, not enough spots, lack of nose
or cheek markings, or broken line on spine.

Body

There
are 5 different body-type categories. These consist
of Semi-Arch, Compact, Full Arch, Commercial,
and Cylindrical. A brief description of these
body types will help the novice to further determine
the breed of a rabbit.

Semi-Arch

This
group gives the appearance of a "sway-backed" animal
when in a normal sitting position, with the shoulders
noticeably lower and gently rising to an "arch" over
the hindquarters. Breeds in this category consist
of: American, Beveren, English Lop, Flemish Giant,
and Giant Chinchilla.

Compact

This
group is short, blocky, compact and possess the same
qualities as the Commercial group, but are too small
to qualify for the meat industry. Breeds included
in this group are: American Fuzzy Lop, English
Angora, Standard Chinchilla, Dwarf Hotot, Dutch,
Florida White, Havana, Holland Lop, Jersey Wooly,
Lilac, Mini Lop, Mini Rex, Netherland Dwarf, Polish, and Silver.

Full
Arch

This
is the group that closely resembles the stature of
a true hare. Normal sitting position shows a definite
large space between the belly and the floor. Breeds
in this group consist of: Belgian Hare, Britannia
Petite, Checkered Giant, English Spot, Rhinelander and Tan.

Commercial

These
breeds are the meat breeds and are often very massive
in meat qualities. For the novice, this is the "typical" rabbit,
such as the albino New Zealand White "Cadbury Egg
Bunny." Breeds in this category are: French Angora,
Giant Angora, Satin Angora, Champagne d'Argent, Californian,
Cinnamon, American Chinchilla, Creme d'Argent, French
Lop, Harlequin, Hotot, New Zealand, Palomino, Rex,
American Sable, Satin, Silver Fox, and Silver
Marten.

Cylindrical

Only
one breed in this category and a very unique one.
The Himalayan has a long body that is the
same width from front to back, just like a "rolling
pin," and sits flat with a flat back and no arch
whatsoever. This body type is very obvious.

Conclusion

With
the aid of this guide to help the novice, it is also
recommended to obtain a book that shows examples
of the various breeds in order to get a better idea.
The main keys to consider will be ear carriage,
fur/wool, weight, and body type. Once
those categories have been singled out, the rest
will tend to simply fall into place. Color was not
included due to the vastness of the recognized varieties
and with some breeds having as many as 18 different
varieites. This guide is not intended as an
infallible method of determining a breed, but only
as a basic guide. The best method is to simply visit
a rabbit show in order to see first-hand the differences
between the many breeds, or visit an experienced
breeder for identifying your rabbit. The different
breeds may also be viewed on the Internet at the
ARBA web site at: http://www.arba.com/.